Minneopolis is aflame in protest.
An officer held his knee to George Floyd‘s back. His larynix smashed against the cement. A host of bystanders screamed for police to, “Let him go”.
The officer seemingly pushed his knee further, hand in pocket, appearance of casual demeanor, yet smuggly and seemingly enjoying Floyd whispering, “Help”, “Mama”, “I can’t breathe”.
The abuse of power is no new event in our nation…in our world. History has always remembered evil dictators; Stalin, Hussein, Mao, Hitler.
Their names go down in history, in hopes the past won’t be repeated, the human race won’t topple from an individual or reign from any wicked system.
Yet, today? The abuse of power seems more prevelant than ever.
Governments force quarantines, push agendas on society, dictate cruel authority to the masses.
It can feel like sifting through a beach front of media sand, to find one simple grain of truth.
Power helps us to feel strong and capable. In fact, in college, I remember my professor telling his students, “If an individual doesn’t have some sense of felt-power over their life, people will fall into despair.”
Are skyrocketing suicide rates, oppresson of certain people, abuse, and domestic violence just a sign of the powerless, reaching for some sort of control?
And what if we were real victims? What would be our greatest fears?
Would it be, we are thoughtless robots in the hands of another race, political system, organization, or evil umbrella of disheartening terrorism?
I find my hope this morning as I search through Scripture.
There, I see Jesus with all authority, all power and dominion…Yet, He came to give His rights away, to lay His life down for me….for you.
The one with greatest ability and strength, came as a humble, willing servant.
Someone will rarely lay his life for a righteous person. But to give your life away for a sinner? (Rom. 8:7-8)
Yet, that’s what Jesus did. He gave His life away for us.
I watch Minneapolis burn. I watch as the government in my state, Washington, puts harsh commands and illogical rules on its people.
I watch as those with spiritual authority, the church, shrink in light of the power-hungry…
When good people remain silent, evil only gets stronger.
Tweet ThisIsn’t it Christians who are supposed to shine out of the darkness?
I read that the other day. “For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.” (2 Cor. 4:6)
I for some reason had always seen light as shining INTO us…INTO a dark world. FROM a God that reigned up above us.
But then, He says, “YOU are the light of the world.” (Matt 5:14) His light is in US. And His light should be shine in and through and FROM us.
“A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.” (v.15)
Yet, so many stay silent.
They freeze in terror as big powers; in government, worldly authority, controlling leaders in homes, or even those in spiritual authority, abuse their power, using it to hurt…instead of help others.
I have seen it in the church. I have seen it in the government. I have seen it in family systems. Power, often linked with money and prosperity, titles, or religious systems, end up crushing instead of blessing.
People squander and give and sacrifice, while leaders reign in some dis-connected, authority gripping nest…One where no one can seemingly touch them.
But, God sees.
Jesus? He got low. He walked amongst his people. He ate and drank with His followers. Jesus took the very one, Judas, that was about to sell his life for a few coins and taught him, loved him anyway…
Jesus even washed the feet of the man who was about to take money in exchange for His life.
Love covered over sin. Yet, it’s never passive.
Love never blindly cowers to abusive authorities, like the Pharisees and Sadducees, in the Bible.
Some of the names Jesus called the abusive authorities, title-wearing, power-hungry, money-loving, controlling personalities of His day were…
- Hypocrites
- Sons of hell
- Blind guides
- Fools
- White washed tombs
- Serpents
- Offspring of vipers.
Jesus never quietly accepted the allowing of evil to smash the likes of innocent people, or rolled-over those who were segregated, hurting, outcasts or vulnerable.
Jesus is not a steamroller, but a strong, fearless, compassionate leader who sees those low and reaches for them continually.
He calls evil out, be never needs to step on the heads of other people, to assert His place as Savior.
So, why does man?
Why do husbands beat their wives? Societies kill their children? Why do elected officials run over the innocent with unnecessary laws, trying to control what cannot be controllable.
No carnal human should ever play god. When will we ever learn?
Why do officers or even building burners rage and devour, possess and use their power to tear down, instead of build up?
Real leadership, real love, never smashes another individual, like some hammer, puffed up with their own self-assessment.
Jesus’ example is love, it gets below people, and pushed them up. It helps them to rise, exchanging its own rights for the benefit of another.
True authority is humble and gentle, kind and patient, forgiving, yet wise.
As the days go on and the world gets darker, my guess is, we will see more ad more of this abuse of power…
More of this fight for control, push to rise ourselves, while oppressing fellow inividuals.
But let’s remember, every kind of control or oppression is evil.
More and more power is the enemies plan. Afterall, the devil was once a heavenly angel who just fought for more power and to be worshiped…
Instead of submitting to the Father.
Satan himself tried assembling a coop of heaven. His position wasn’t enough. His power wasn’t enough. His place didn’t bring him any contentment. Satan’s very character is of selfish control.
Oh, that we might be a people who push others towards the Son, who let our lights shine from within, that we might grow in discernment while realizing passivity is a wrongful acceptance of evil.
We are the people of God. We weren’t made to be doormats. At the same time, we are to rise in love and humility, calling out the evil’s of our society.
We should never negotiate with sin.
We don’t allow evil, but instead speak out for the oppressed…
Those pushed to the floor by hate, like George Floyd who died because of people’s abuse of power and authority.
“Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”
“Great men are almost always bad men, even when they exercise influence and not authority: still more when you superadd the tendency or the certainty of corruption by authority.” ~ Sir John Dalberg-Acton
If evil isn’t stopped, it will spread like the fires burning throughout Minneapolis. Good never wins when evil is allowed to crush the low and hurting.
We as a society must rise and do better. But first, we must get low and know the one who layed down His life, so we could walk in true freedom….
Freedom that doesn’t seek to climb…but loves the way Jesus did.
Serving selflessly. Yet, still standing strong…speaking the truth out, boldly, against evil.
